Jazz cheaper on return trip

Calcutta, Aug. 4: Honda Cars India Ltd will reintroduce its premiere hatchback Jazz early next year at a lower price, made possible by the local manufacture of parts.

Attributing the limited success of the premium hatchback to its pricing, Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president (sales and marketing) of Honda Cars India, said, “When we had introduced the Jazz in 2009, it was then priced a little below Rs 7 lakh. Things have changed drastically in these five years. We have achieved a high percentage of localisation in our cars. The Jazz, too, will have a high localisation level and this will enable us to price it competitively in that segment.”

The Hyundai i20, the Maruti Swift and the Volkswagen Polo have a significant presence in the premium hatchback segment. The price of these cars ranges between Rs 4.42 lakh and Rs 7.77 lakh.

“We will definitely price it (the Jazz) competitively as we are now looking for volumes. Volumes are going to be our priority in the Indian market for the coming years,” Sen said.

The Jazz will have a diesel variant and “will share the same platform as the new Honda City and the Mobilio called the global compact platform”.

The Mobilio has a localisation level of 90 per cent. The Jazz, too, will have such high localisation levels, Sen said at the launch of the Honda Mobilio, the company’s seven-seater MPV, here today.

The car has been priced between Rs 6.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Calcutta, base petrol variant) and Rs 10,27,000 (ex-showroom Calcutta, top diesel variant). The sports variant of the Mobilio will be launched later this year at Rs 11,44,900.

Riding on the success of compact sedan Amaze and the new City, Honda has posted an 84.34 per cent growth in sales at 1.34 lakh units in 2013-14 compared with 73,483 units in 2012-13.